❓ A parliamentary question regarding the WA student assistance payment, specifically addressing the 20% of students who didn't access it and the perceived lack of promotion by opposition members. The Minister's response is defensive and accusatory.
AnsweredQoN 471Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STUDENT ASSISTANCE
PAYMENT
471. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the minister's
statement yesterday referring to the outstanding success of the Western Australian
student assistance payment.
(1) Will the
minister and his department be contacting the 20 per cent of students and
families in Western Australia who were not aware, or could not access the
payment, to ensure they are compensated and treated equitably with all other
students and families in Western Australia?
(2) Given that
government members of Parliament were provided details of information of school
take-up rather than the opposition and the media, is the minister disappointed
in their advocacy performance with their local families?
(3) Does the
minister now regret the mode of payment in comparison with some other states
that ensured all schools were funded 100 per cent of the payment to take into
account all students?
PAYMENT
471. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
I refer to the minister's
statement yesterday referring to the outstanding success of the Western Australian
student assistance payment.
(1) Will the
minister and his department be contacting the 20 per cent of students and
families in Western Australia who were not aware, or could not access the
payment, to ensure they are compensated and treated equitably with all other
students and families in Western Australia?
(2) Given that
government members of Parliament were provided details of information of school
take-up rather than the opposition and the media, is the minister disappointed
in their advocacy performance with their local families?
(3) Does the
minister now regret the mode of payment in comparison with some other states
that ensured all schools were funded 100 per cent of the payment to take into
account all students?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
think I might be getting a Dorothy on this, so thank you very much, member for
Roe. Let us start off with the 80 per cent. Under any system, 80 per cent is an
incredible success. Today, we have less than 70 per cent of the opposition in
attendance! It is about 66 per cent of them; what a failure! That is an
absolute failure. I am not going to go through everything because I think I may
be getting a question on this from a member on this side of the house. When we
announced this, from our research—I am prepared to stand corrected on
this—the Nationals WA members in the lower house posted one Facebook
post in mid-April. At least they did better than Liberal Party members, who I do
not think posted anything. This was a government program to provide
cost-of-living assistance to Western Australian families and opposition
members, for pure political reasons, did not promote it. Shame on you! Absolute
shame. Do not stand up here and try to be high and mighty now when you did not
promote the system. All you did was try to counter the system, counter the
program and be negative. Do not stand here and say you are now concerned about
the 20 per cent of families that missed out.
Regarding the premise of the question
from the member for Roe, how does he know they did not know about it? I can
tell the member now, many people did know about it but just did not do the
work, did not go and enrol, did not make an application. Members in this house
constantly went around to schools and helped people fill in the forms. I even
invited the member for Roe to go on a road trip. I went with the member for
Kimberley.
Point of Order
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : I have a point
of order.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order please, members. I
think some people need reminding that points of order are held in silence.
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Thanks, Madam
Speaker. I just want to point out to the minister that there are 51 schools —
The SPEAKER : Sorry! Member
for Roe, you may get the opportunity of a supplementary question, but a point
of order is not an opportunity to point out anything to a minister or a member.
It is to make a point of order to me with respect to the standing orders being
infringed.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
A.D. BUTI : I will just make this
point now, and I am sure I will be making other points during question time. Let
us consider the results in Albany, as a result of the great work of the member
for Albany. In Albany, Albany Senior High School had an 83 per cent
participation rate. North Albany Senior High School had 80 per cent. Esperance
Senior High School, which is in the member for Roe's electorate, had 61
per cent and Katanning Senior High School, in his own town, had 71 per cent.
What did you do at Katanning Senior
High School to promote the program? Zilch. So do not stand up here, being all
high and mighty. You and the opposition are condemned for the way you put down
this program, which is geared for cost-of-living measures to provide relief for
educational purposes. You are shameful, the way you have sought to downgrade
this program, and the galah next to you. What did you do?
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Minister, your language is unparliamentary and I ask you to withdraw.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I withdraw that
I said ''galah'' to the Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER : And apologise.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I apologise.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : It is absurd
that we now have opposition members complaining that we did not do enough when
we have had an 80 per cent success rate and they did not do anything to help.
They are local members. They may not understand this: every member in this
chamber is a local member who has a responsibility, regardless of party
politics, to advocate for their local constituents. I can assure the member
that when we were in opposition and there was a government program, we
advocated for our local constituents. That is what local members do. That is
the obligation we take on when we swear allegiance on the first day of a new
Parliament. You did not do that. Shame on you. You are condemned for your
behaviour with regard to this program.
think I might be getting a Dorothy on this, so thank you very much, member for
Roe. Let us start off with the 80 per cent. Under any system, 80 per cent is an
incredible success. Today, we have less than 70 per cent of the opposition in
attendance! It is about 66 per cent of them; what a failure! That is an
absolute failure. I am not going to go through everything because I think I may
be getting a question on this from a member on this side of the house. When we
announced this, from our research—I am prepared to stand corrected on
this—the Nationals WA members in the lower house posted one Facebook
post in mid-April. At least they did better than Liberal Party members, who I do
not think posted anything. This was a government program to provide
cost-of-living assistance to Western Australian families and opposition
members, for pure political reasons, did not promote it. Shame on you! Absolute
shame. Do not stand up here and try to be high and mighty now when you did not
promote the system. All you did was try to counter the system, counter the
program and be negative. Do not stand here and say you are now concerned about
the 20 per cent of families that missed out.
Regarding the premise of the question
from the member for Roe, how does he know they did not know about it? I can
tell the member now, many people did know about it but just did not do the
work, did not go and enrol, did not make an application. Members in this house
constantly went around to schools and helped people fill in the forms. I even
invited the member for Roe to go on a road trip. I went with the member for
Kimberley.
Point of Order
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : I have a point
of order.
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order please, members. I
think some people need reminding that points of order are held in silence.
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : Thanks, Madam
Speaker. I just want to point out to the minister that there are 51 schools —
The SPEAKER : Sorry! Member
for Roe, you may get the opportunity of a supplementary question, but a point
of order is not an opportunity to point out anything to a minister or a member.
It is to make a point of order to me with respect to the standing orders being
infringed.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr
A.D. BUTI : I will just make this
point now, and I am sure I will be making other points during question time. Let
us consider the results in Albany, as a result of the great work of the member
for Albany. In Albany, Albany Senior High School had an 83 per cent
participation rate. North Albany Senior High School had 80 per cent. Esperance
Senior High School, which is in the member for Roe's electorate, had 61
per cent and Katanning Senior High School, in his own town, had 71 per cent.
What did you do at Katanning Senior
High School to promote the program? Zilch. So do not stand up here, being all
high and mighty. You and the opposition are condemned for the way you put down
this program, which is geared for cost-of-living measures to provide relief for
educational purposes. You are shameful, the way you have sought to downgrade
this program, and the galah next to you. What did you do?
Several members interjected.
Withdrawal of Remark
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Minister, your language is unparliamentary and I ask you to withdraw.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I withdraw that
I said ''galah'' to the Leader of the Opposition.
The SPEAKER : And apologise.
Dr A.D. BUTI : I apologise.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Dr A.D. BUTI : It is absurd
that we now have opposition members complaining that we did not do enough when
we have had an 80 per cent success rate and they did not do anything to help.
They are local members. They may not understand this: every member in this
chamber is a local member who has a responsibility, regardless of party
politics, to advocate for their local constituents. I can assure the member
that when we were in opposition and there was a government program, we
advocated for our local constituents. That is what local members do. That is
the obligation we take on when we swear allegiance on the first day of a new
Parliament. You did not do that. Shame on you. You are condemned for your
behaviour with regard to this program.
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